Ordinary Highway Research Articles

Hydro-thermal processes and deformation of highway embankment in the active layer in a high-latitude permafrost region of Inner Mongolia in Northeast China

Construction of embankments in the permafrost region significantly changes the heat exchange conditions and hydrothermal transport processes between permafrost and the external environment, causing changes in the state of permafrost under the embankment, which in turn affects the long-term stability of embankment impacts. Considering more complex forest environment and higher technical standard for expressway than ordinary highway, the hydrothermal and deformation characteristics of the embankment are investigated through a full-scale field experimental embankment of the Genhe-Labdalin highway. Further, the study delves into the influence of changes in the active layer thickness, hydrothermal processes, and water above the frozen layer on embankment stability. The main conclusions are as follows: 1) The permafrost table, temperature, moisture and deformation of the embankment showed lateral heterogeneity, with the three-former showing a “concave shape” and the left side (sunny slope) being lower than the right side (shady slope). 2) The permafrost table appears to be unconnected (thawing interlayer), creating preferential flow, thaw zones and even through-thaw zones. 3) Accompanied by the freezing and thawing process of the embankment, the deformation of the pavement is less delayed. These findings will be helpful for better understanding the hydrothermal characteristics of embankments in different frozen ground regions, and for providing important technical guidance to ensure the safe operation of engineering projects.

Research on road surface temperature characteristics and road ice warning model of ordinary highways in winter in Hunan province, central China

The study of road surface temperature (Ts) characteristics in winter and the early warning method of road icing is of great significance to reduce traffic accidents and improve transportation efficiency. Using the hourly observation data of Hunan traffic meteorological stations from December 2020 to February 2022, this study analyzes the winter Ts characteristics of ordinary roads in Hunan Province, and uses the Logistic regression model to establish the temperature threshold for icing of ordinary roads in the province. So as to build a road icing early warning model hierarchically. The results show that the Ts in southern Hunan is relatively high, the Ts at most stations is above 10 °C, and the low Ts area is in western Hunan, and the stations below 8 °C are mostly distributed in this area. This may be due to the higher altitude in western Hunan. In terms of diurnal variation, the lowest value of average Ts and air temperature (Ta) in Hunan Province in winter both appeared at 7:00 Beijing Time (BT), while the highest value appeared at 15:00 BT, and the average Ta is always lower than the Ts. The temperature variation on the bridge surface is more pronounced. When the Ta is lower than −2.5 °C, more than 70% of the sites have a rapid increase in the risk of icing; and when the Ta is lower than −5°C, nearly 87% of the sites have a risk level of 4, which means icing risk is extremely high. Furthermore, combining the warning model with thermal spectrum mapping can improve the spatial resolution of the warning model and also solve the problem of lack of observations in some areas.

Field investigation on moisture, heat and deformation behaviors and their coupling effects of expressway in warm permafrost regions

Expressways construction in warm permafrost regions is faced with serious permafrost degradation, and expressways stability is closely related to its thermal-hydro-mechanical state. However, the behaviors of moisture, heat and deformation of expressway in warm permafrost regions are not completely clear. In this study, the experimental embankment for the proposed Qinghai-Tibet Expressway built on site is taken as the research object, and the behaviors of moisture, heat and deformation and their coupling effects are studied, and the expressway stability in warm permafrost regions is further discussed. The experimental results show that the permafrost degradation beneath expressway is more serious than that beneath ordinary highway. The moisture distribution is affected by temperature distribution and capillary effect, showing high moisture content in the top and bottom of the embankment and low moisture content in the middle. The expressway presents deformation difference due to the differential degradation of underlying permafrost, and the deformation difference increases with time. The embankment settlement is slow before reaching a new thawing depth, but it develops rapidly after reaching a new thawing depth. Frost heaving occurs in cold season and can counteract the creep of warm permafrost, leaving the embankment in a stable deformation state.

Game dynamics of route choice in heterogenous population

Heterogeneity in the population is making the traffic system increasingly complex. In this letter, we study how individuals make traffic route choices based on evolutionary dynamics. We consider two distinct populations—skilled drivers and novice drivers. The drivers' route choices of either express way or ordinary high way are characterized by the mixed strategies, which evolve according to a replication dynamics equation. It is found that the evolutionary equilibrium depends sensitively on the expected traveling distance, the proportion of novice drivers, and the unit time cost while the initial proportion of the mixed strategies has almost no effect on the evolutionary outcome. This work tries to explore an innovative way to incorporate evolutionary game theory into the traffic assignment model.

Assessment on the crash risk factors of a typical long-span bridge using oversampling-based classification method and considering bridge structure movement

Abstract In comparison to ordinary highways, traffic accidents on long-span bridges have unique characteristics due to large percentages of large trucks, inclement weather conditions, and dynamically moving bridge structures. Presently, there is a research significant gap in the existing literature about the traffic safety of long-span bridges due to those difficulties. Meanwhile, the structure movement data of bridge is difficult to obtain. In this paper, real-time data related to the bridge crashes including surrounding environment, traffic status and especially structural movement were obtained from monitoring system of a long-span bridge. An oversampling-based classification method was utilized to explore the risk factors of the long-span bridge crashes. The results indicate that higher maximum wind speed and volume prior to a crash tend to increase the likelihood of the occurrences of the crash, while higher temperature, humidity, average vehicle speed and truck percentage are found to decrease the likelihood. Moreover, the structure movement indicators including horizontal vibration acceleration and deformation are found to have significant adverse effects on the traffic safety of the long-span bridge, and we recommend that those factors should be considered at the design stage.

Retracted: VR Technology and the Theoretical Model and Method of Road Network Traffic State Information Accident Prediction and Perception under the Environment of Internet of Vehicles

With the rapid increase in the number of private cars and buses in the country, the living standard has gradually improved, and vehicles as a means of transportation commonly used by people have caused more traffic accidents. The present study mainly discusses the theoretical models and methods of VR technology and road network traffic status information accident prediction perception on the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) environment. Use of VR technology to simulate the experimental environment. The main techniques of VR real-time rendering are the visualization and roaming of large-area spatial data and the simulation of things that currently exist in computer vision simulation methods. Use VR technology to simulate ordinary highways, and use VR technology to simulate six sets of virtual cars. Use the real-time positioning function and data transmission function of the IoV technology to systematically collect driving data in the VR environment and advance collisions in advance to perceive and control the speed of the cars. Experimental data shows that when the time level is 2, the brake response sensitivity in the data is 88.9%, and the brake sensitivity value is relatively high. When the distance level is 1, the car safety factor value is 97.5%, and the data value is the highest. The research results show that when the time level is 2, the brake sensitivity value is relatively high, indicating that the VR technology and the traffic network information environment accident prediction effect on the Internet of Vehicles environment are better. When the distance level is 1, the performance of road network traffic status information accident perception based on VR technology and IoV environment is the best. Through the real-time sharing of the image recognition performance of VR technology and the geographic location of the Internet of Vehicles technology, the real-time prediction and perception of road network traffic status information accidents can minimize the chances of accidents.

Traffic Accident Model Reviewed from The Factors of Driving Behaviour of Surabaya-Gempol Toll Road

The development of road capacity is not in line with the development of the population and the increase in the number of vehicles. This has become a classic problem of transportation in the big cities of Indonesia, including in East Java Province. The existence of road capacity in accommodating vehicles must be resolved. One way to accommodate the number of vehicles is through the toll road. But comfortable conditions of the toll road can cause accidents. One factor causing this is the driver's behavior factors, as the toll road is a freeway, they tend to drive carelessly. On the other hand, high planning standards make the difference between toll roads and ordinary highways. Yet barrier-free road does not mean that the traffic accident problem can be resolved properly. This study aims to determine how significant is the influence of driver behavior factor in causing accidents. The methodology is done by analyzing the data using statistical methods. Based on the accident data obtained, a mathematical model with multiple linear regression analysis is made. The model connects the number of traffic accidents on the Surabaya-Gempol toll road with the number of accidents caused by driver factors. The results showed that the factors causing the accident were caused by less anticipated driver factors, carelessness, drowsiness, drunkenness, distance, etcetera. This variable has a significant effect on traffic accidents at Surabaya-Gempol Toll Road by 54%.

Study on the heat and deformation characteristics of an expressway embankment with shady and sunny slopes in warm and ice-rich permafrost regions

Abstract In permafrost regions, the construction of embankment leads to the permafrost degradation, further affecting the embankment stability. Considering wider bituminous pavement and higher technical standard for expressway than ordinary highway, the heat and deformation behaviors of the separated expressway are investigated through a full-scale field experimental expressway embankment in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The results show that: (1) the strong endothermic effect and heat accumulation effect of expressway embankment greatly reduce its thermal and deformation stability and intensify the shady-sunny slope effect. The decline rate of permafrost table, settlement rate and transverse deformation difference are 1.59, 1.33 and 1.94 times those of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, respectively. (2) Under the comprehensive function of the heat gathering effect, the shady-sunny slope effect and strong convective heat transfer on windward slope, the maximum thawing depth under the sunny slope significantly increases with time, and that under the shady slope shoulder relatively slightly increases, while it under the shady slope toe remains basically unchanged. (3) The deformations at the sunny and shady slope shoulders are divided into slow settlement, rapid settlement and stabilization deformation/upheave. The slow settlement is mostly due to thaw settlement, and the rapid settlement is mainly originated from thaw settlement and thaw solidification of permafrost.

Experimental and Analytical Study on the Proposed Retrofit Method for Concrete Bent in Ordinary Highway Bridges in Iran

Experimental and Analytical Study on the Proposed Retrofit Method for Concrete Bent in Ordinary Highway Bridges in Iran

Analysis on distribution of freeway accidents under various conditions in China

This study aims to provide a current survey on the situation of freeway accidents in China. The results show that the accident rate, death toll, injury toll, and direct loss of property are 3.2, 8.4, 7.2, and 24.3 times that of the average for an ordinary highway in China. Freeway accidents occur mainly in Southern (20.77%) and Central (20.2%) China. With detailed data from Guangdong Province, the number of accidents in freeways with 80 km/h design speed (29.58/km/103 pcu) was more than three times that in freeways with design speed of 100 km/h (9.54/km/103 pcu) and 120 km/h (9.42/km/103 pcu). The total accident rate increased monotonously with the decrease in horizontal radius. The results indicate that 54.54% (/km/103 pcu) of accidents occurred on a steep slope (4%–5%), representing about 10 times that of 3%–4% slope and 20 times that of the less than 3% slope. Based on the data, the safety situation of China’s highway transportation is obviously grim, and improving freeway heavy traffic management in economically developed regions, strengthening the safeguarding of mountain freeways, applying small radius and large vertical grade with caution, and developing a monitoring system of tunnels and interchanges could be used as effective measures to prevent freeway accidents.

Evaluation Method for Traffic Operation Status on Ordinary Highway Roads

AbstractAverage travel speed and density ratio are selected as the traffic state evaluation indexes. Based on the long-term analysis of the distribution characteristics of the detection data of 166 intermodulation points of 26 national and provincial highways in Chongqing, the model for calculating the point speed and travel speed during congestion is established, and the reasonable rating thresholds for identifying indicators are determined according to the grade test scores. Based on logical rules, the synthetic evaluation model that uses travel speed and density ratio as evaluation indexes is established, and the evaluation method suitable for ordinary highway operation status in China is determined. By verifying and analyzing the determination result of the actual operation status of the 26 common highways in Chongqing, the better adaptability of the model is proven.

自发光标线配合比试验与应用研究

夜间的山区普通干线公路几乎没有照明，在事故隐患段不能满足夜间行车使用要求。自发光标线提供警示信息，使其谨慎驾驶，主动减速。文章采用正交试验法进行自发光标线配合比研究。按照发光面积比最终确定各种材料的配合比例。结果表明，自发光标线能使驾驶员获取较远范围的线形，对驾驶操作有重要意义。 There is almost no light in ordinary highway at night. It can’t meet the requirements of driving at night in the accident section. Self luminous markings provide warning information, to drive carefully, take the initiative to slow down. In this paper, the self luminous marking ratio is researched by orthogonal test method. In accordance with the light emitting area, ratio determined the proportion of various materials. The results show that the linear self luminous markings can make the driver get far range, which plays an important role in driving operation.

Vessel-Bridge Collision Force Research on Ordinary Highway Bridge in Fujian Navigable River

Several methods had been provided to compute bridge collision force among domestic and abroad, the paper took Fujian Saijiang River as a example, and compared ship collision force calculated by different methods and chose the suitable collision force for the collapse of probability calculation. The American AASHTO guidelines and nonlinear finite element were practical to calculate collision force.

Analytical Fragility Curves for Ordinary Highway Bridges in Turkey

This study focuses on the development of analytical fragility curves for the ordinary highway bridges constructed after the 1990s. Four major bridge classes were employed based on skew angle, number of columns per bent, and span number (only multispan bridges). Nonlinear response-history analyses (NRHA) were conducted for each bridge sample using a detailed 3-D analytical model subjected to earthquake ground motions of varying seismic intensities. A component-based approach that uses several engineering demand parameters was employed to determine the seismic response of critical bridge components. Corresponding damage limit states were defined either in terms of member capacities or excessive bearing displacements. Lognormal fragility curves were obtained by curve fitting the point estimates of the probability of exceeding each specified damage limit state for each major bridge class. Bridges with larger skew angles or single-column bents were found to be the most seismically vulnerable.

Evaluation of Performance Measures for Two-Lane Expressways in Japan

Two-lane expressways exist as provisional sections for future expansion to four-lane expressways in Japan, although recently such roadway types have been considered for construction for permanent use. Their highway classification may fall somewhere between common (multilane) expressways and ordinary two-lane highways, with full access control and high speed limits but with only one lane per direction of travel. Since this type of highway is unique, methodologies for service level measurement of other uninterrupted-flow facilities are not applicable. Percent time spent following, for instance, is estimated with significant consideration of the opposing flow rate, which has practically no effect on driving conditions since a median barrier is present in all sections. The goal of this study is to analyze and compare possible performance measures that would best describe the traffic operational characteristics of two-lane expressways. Among the performance measures considered, follower density had much promise, having shown strong relationships with flow rate. Since the available data were only those taken during off-peak periods, further observations of follower flow must be made during congested or near-congested flow to establish follower density and volume relationships for all traffic conditions.

Analysis of AVCS Maglev's Automated Highway Network Operation

AVCS maglev, which is the synergistic combination of Advanced Vehicle Control Systems and high-speed magnetic levitation technology, would operate on ordinary highways and streets under manual control as well as on instrumented highways (magways) under automatic control. In this paper the important aspects of fully-automated highway network operation of AVCS maglev are investigated, which include mainline longitudinal control, entrance ramp control, speed transition control and peak-period optimization strategy. To select a suitable longitudinal control alternative, block control, vehicle-follower control and point-follower control concepts are investigated. To find an entrance ramp operation strategy, the average delay of a ramp vehicle in position to be merged, the ramp capacities and the ramp queue lengths are calculated. The magway is envisaged to consist of three types of sections - restricted capacity section (RCS), speed transition section (STS) and unrestricted capacity section (UCS). The speed transition section is always located between UCS and RCS to adjust the speeds between these two types of sections. During the speed transition operation it is crucial to ensure stability within the platoon of vehicles operating with small spacings. For this purpose a suitable vehicle-following model is investigated. Lastly, the peak-period optimization strategy to maximize the throughput of a magway system is investigated using a linear programming model.

The Conceptual Development of an Innovative Hybrid Personal Transportation System Utilizing AVCS and High-Speed Magnetic Levitation Technology

The challenges posed by current surface transportation problems cannot be solved by the application of a few isolated independent actions. A broad, comprehensive solution is needed to restore and build the future mobility our society will demand. The concept for such a solution is embodied in the term, AVCS maglev. AVCS maglev is the synergistic combination of Advanced Vehicle Control Systems (AVCS), which is the most comprehensive functional area of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), and the high-speed magnetic levitation (Maglev) technology. AVCS maglev will provide a safe, high-speed, high-capacity, energy-efficient, environment-friendly intercity and intracity transportation system. Most importantly, the new system would be compatible with and, indeed, an extension of the existing highway transportation system. So to speak, the guideways would be constructed basically in the medians of existing highways. While the vehicles using the "magway" (maglev guideway) would be evolutionary like present day automobiles, they would be privately owned and could operate on ordinary highways and streets as well as the AVCS magways. The significance of this research lies in salvaging and capitalizing on the promising concepts of AVCS and Maglev and melding them into a transportation strategy.

Road Testing

THE Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has just completed a road testing machine which is stated to be the largest of its kind in the world. According to The Times of April 8, road making and upkeep cost Great Britain about fifty million pounds a year, and thirty thousand pounds is being spent annually by the Department on research work on road engineering. The new testing machine consists of a 12-ton lorry, tethered to a central post by a 5-ton structural arm driven by a 180 horse-power electric motor. It travels round a track 110 feet in diameter and wears two tracks on the test road. Its maximum speed is 40 miles an hour. Special safety devices have to be incorporated both in the design of the machine and of the building in which it is housed. If it broke away from the centre post when travelling at full speed, it would release energy equivalent to that of a six inch shell. The building containing the machine is roofed so that test roads may be laid in any weather. There are two other machines carrying out similar tests on a smaller scale. In the case of one of these machines the road revolves and drives the wheels, the maximum speed being nine miles per hour. A week's use of one of these machines sometimes represents a year's wear on the ordinary highway. It has been found out that the road generally wears out before the tyre gives way. Physical and chemical tests of roads and road making materials are also carried out at the laboratory. An appliance can bore out a cylindrical core of concrete from a road so that the texture and constituents of the mixture may be examined and its mechanical strength found. Tests on skidding are also made: theoretically, by a small apparatus in the laboratory which finds out the slipperiness of a lubricant, and practically, by means of a special motor cycle and sidecar.